The last time I wrote about the Green Party and its President Dr. Frank Habineza they tried to intimidate me into silence by attempting to blackmail my employer into a public apology. At the time I remember thinking that if the Greens were being that intolerant without control of state power, how would they behave once they got power, would they not suppress the same freedoms they claim to be fighting for?

Habineza comes off like a good man. It is his penchant for pandering that I have a problem with. The first time I got in trouble with him and his party I had written about his political cause at the time. He was threatening to sue government because it had taken the French language off the 500 franc note. I urged him to put his time to better use, to concentrate his energies elsewhere, and that if he was going to talk about money he’d better help struggling Rwandans get more of those 500 franc bank notes in their pockets regardless of the language written on them.

Now Habineza is at it again, pandering to an empty gallery. He has taken on yet another cause: the return of Kigeli Ndahindurwa from exile. So far so good. However, he begins to pander by making spurious claims that Kigeli would be a "key pillar to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.” Has the good doctor, Habineza, carried out a study that revealed to him that despite Rwanda’s impressive performance on MDGs, more could have been achieved but for the absence of Kigeli Ndahindurwa?

In each of these stunts Habineza fails to read the psychology of the people he wishes to lead- Rwandans. For instance, in the first stunt he tries to enter the souls of the so-called Francophones whereas the second stunt targets the "monarchists.” Such feats might work in a situation where there is politically motivated marginalisation aimed at each of these communities. That is, if indeed they did exist and were politically mobilised (conscience about their collective existence, organised, and in possession of group consciousness in relation to this marginalisation).

Which of these prerequisites prevails in Rwanda’s social structure? The answer is none of the above. And so, will Habineza’s recent cause yield any political traction? Nyet. It’s destined to the same place like his previous stunts. Worse still, Habineza had better wake up and smell the coffee, else he might be reduced to a political cartoon, ridiculed, a joke. I hope it never gets to this because, like I said, he seems like a good man who just happens to be in over his head. 

About the psychology of Rwandans. This has shifted – at least when it comes to political leadership. I explained this shift here. and here. I hoped that ambitious politicians, like Habineza, would have picked up on that advice. In any case, I’ll add some unsolicited advice especially tailored to Dr. Habineza because I like him, and I’d like to see him succeed – even as he would rather intimidate me.

For starters, let go the cheap populism. Rwandans will not fall for it. They’ve come to believe that the purpose of politics is to improve their lives. So, whatever you do, get to the substance of their desires.

There’s only one possibility that you can access political power without letting go of your stunts: the day the ruling party loses compass of its moral aims that speak to the people’s aspirations. Until then, I suggest you learn from them. Start by asking yourself a few simple questions:

The people who have what you want, what are they up to? What makes them tick? Just last month a 94 year old man from Kicukiro was among a couple of hundred new members who joined the RPF, and every other month hundreds join, how does that party do it? How do they manage to gain real estate into the hearts and minds of Rwandans?

It’s time for soul-searching, Dr. Habineza. An honest self-examination will let go of the pandering, assume responsibility for past failures, and lead to devising meaningful strategy that will not only attract members to your party but will potentially induce a change of heart for some and shift their loyalty from other parties, including the RPF, to join you in a more meaningful cause.

However, the starting point is to come to grips that your party is not as popular as it believes itself to be. Moreover, it is not true that it has a large number of supporters, if only they were not intimidated to come out in the open to profess their love and loyalty. Indeed, the party is not failing because it is operating in a hostile political environment of intimidation and suppression.

Finally, my experience tells me that you are the one doing the intimidating.